Developed nations reduced emissions: UN report

Developed nations reduced emissions by 13 per cent in 26 years and since 2010 these have decreased by 4.4 per cent, likely due in part to climate actions that more than offset the impact of economic and population growth, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) said.

The increasing levels of financial support provided by developed countries to developing countries could provide an incentive for a shift towards a low-emission and climate-resilient development pathway.

The UNFCCC presented a new report at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP24) here that highlights both progress and gaps as developed countries implement climate actions to meet their targets in the period before 2020.

The report titled 'Compilation and Synthesis' highlights that since 2010, emissions by these countries have decreased by 4.4 per cent, likely due in part to climate actions that more than offset the impact of economic and population growth.

The report also finds that emission reduction measures by developed countries have increased and are paying off. This is an important foundation for accelerated climate action beyond 2020 under the Paris Climate Change Agreement.

Financial support by developed countries reached $49.4 billion in 2016. This financial support increased by 13 per cent between 2013-14 and 2015-16 reporting periods.

Additionally, technology transfer and capacity-building support is beginning to lay the foundation for developing countries' climate action beyond 2020.

The report also clearly establishes that some developed countries are ahead of their targets, while others are behind. The full implementation of available measures and policies would be a critically important step for those countries to make progress.

The report by the UNFCCC Secretariat is based on reporting that developed countries are obliged to undertake every two years.